Bowls embellished with incised gold leaf pressed between two layers of glass were among the various luxury items prodused in the Hellenistic world. This base is one of only a dozen created featuring Jewish motifs.
The design of the base is divided into two registers. The upper contains a gabled Ark of the Law, its open doors revaling three shelves of scrolls. It is flanked by birds. In the lower register, a seven-branched menorahs flanked by two lions, an oil flask, a palm branch (lulav), citron (etrog) and ram's horn (shofar) are depicted.
This item comes with a certificate of authenticity from the Israel Museum, Jerusalem. Enclosed is a short description of its historical background in English and Hebrew.